These “shelves of meat” would have fit right in on the infamous Datong menu.
One of my Mandarin teachers taught me that the Chinese differentiate national or international cuisines from local or regional cuisines. For example, 中餐 (Zhōngcān) and 西餐 (Xīcān) mean “Chinese food” and “Western food,” respectively, whereas 四川菜 (Mòxīgē cài) and 墨西哥菜 (Sìchuān cài) mean “Sichuan food” and “Mexican food.” I like to think of 餐 (cān) as the more formal “cuisine” and 菜 (cài) as the more laidback “cookin'”.
For the record, I adore 新疆菜 (Xīnjiāng cài.)
I ordered cold beer (hoping to get the locally brewed Sinkiang Black Beer that I’ve come to appreciate) but a different local brand arrived. Plus a wine glass, for some reason.
The meat, however, was spectacular. 
The skewers were literal sticks. Like actual branches off a tree.
